Florida Teen Honored at Vigil on 18th Birthday After Being Hit and Killed by a School Bus
Senior Sherman Vannoy was riding his bike to Lake Minneola High School when he was hit by a Lake County school bus on Monday
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Sherman VannoyA Florida teen who died in a school bus crash this week was honored with a vigil on what would have been his 18th birthday.
The teen was riding his bike to Lake Minneola High School when he was hit by the Lake County school bus just before 7 a.m. local time on Monday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Lake County Schools identified the victim as high school senior Sherman Vannoy.
A vigil was held Thursday night to honor Vannoy’s life. He would have turned 18 that same day.
"The support has been overwhelming and we’re all grateful," Vannoy's mother said during the event, according to NBC affiliate WESH. "I don’t even have all the words."
The bus, driven by a 78-year-old, attempted to make a left turn to enter the high school as Sherman entered the crosswalk, FHP said. The bus driver "swerved" to try and avoid Sherman, but collided with the victim before continuing off the roadway and striking both a stop sign and a chain-link fence.
Sherman was taken to South Lake Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, troopers said. The bus driver, who was uninjured, remained at the scene.
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“He was Sherman. He was somebody who could not be replicated or changed,” said Josue Santana, a friend of the victim, according to WESH. “He was everybody’s friend, everybody’s buddy. No matter who you were, you could be friends with Sherman.”
Earlier in the day, students and staff across the Lake County school district wore purple “in memory of Sherman Vannoy,” according to a statement from the district representing Lake Minneola High School. Students also signed a card for what would have been his 18th birthday and “sang happy birthday in his honor during the morning announcements.”
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Vannoy was also honored at two games — a volleyball game and a junior varsity football game — hosted at his high school on Thursday. The end zones of the football field were painted purple “in his honor.”
Rivera also made sure to celebrate Vannoy’s birthday by making the food and putting up the decorations that they planned to put up before Monday’s deadly crash.
The bus driver involved in Monday’s deadly crash has since been placed on leave, and the school district said they will no longer drive for them, according to ABC affiliate WFTV. An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Additionally, A GoFundMe has been created to help Vannoy's family. As of Friday afternoon, it has raised over $26,000.
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